Recoil mechanism for automatic machine-guns.



Patented Nov. 28, |899. A. T. DAWSON & L. SILVERMAN.

.REcmL MECHANISM Fon AuToMATicl-MA (Applicatiomled Apr. 20 1899.) (No Model.) v

CHINE GUNS.

2 Sheets-Sheet l.

No. 638,045. PatentedNov. 28, |899.

A. T. DAWSON Gf. L. SILVERMAN.

BECUIL MECHANISM FR AUTMATIC MACHINE GUNS.

(Application med Apr. 2o, 1899,)

(No Model.) 1 2 Sheets-Sheet 2A rares' riarer ARTHUR TREVOR- DAWSON AND LOUIS SILYERMAN, OF LONDON, ENG- LAND, ASSIGNORS TO THE VIOKERS, SONS da MAXIM, LIMITED, OF

SAME PLACE.

RCOlL, MEGHANISM FOR AUTOMATIC MACHINE-GUNS.

SEECIFEGATIQN forming part of Letters Patent No., 638,045, dated November 28, 1899. Application sied April zo, 1899. seni No. 713,695. (No motel.)

To @Z whom z'rl; may concern:

Be it known that we,ARTHUR TREVOR DAY:- SON, late lieutenant of the Royal Navy, and LOUIS SILVERMAN, engineer, subjects of the Queen-of Great Britain, residing at 32 Victoria street, London, England, have invented an Improvement inliecoil Mechanism for Automatic Machine-Guns, of which the following is a specification.

' of the rear portion of the gun.

This invention is an improvement in the recoil mechanism for automatic machineguns, its object being to? provide a means whereby guns of large caliber and adapted to dre heavier charges than heretofore may be operated ou the saine plan as ihe ordinary rapid-fire machine-guns. These guns have usually been constructed for firing ammunition not much, if any, heavier than that used for small-arms; but according to our present invention We have sought to adapt the automatic mechanism especially for guns, say, of a caliber of about one and one-half inches or more. In order to accomplish this, We combine With the barrel, which slides endwise on recoiling in a frame or cradle, a spiral spring placed around the barrel Within the Water-jacket and with the breech mechanism a hydraulic buier, which is so placed Within the gun-casing at'the rear of the crank and is so arranged that it can be readily replenished with liquid without removing it from the gun; It is capable, however, of being quickly removed for inspection or repair and of being as quickly replaced.

In order that our said invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into effect, we will proceed to describe the saine more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings, in Which Figure l is a vertical longitudinal section Fig. 2 is a plan of the same with the top cover removed. Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal section of the fore portion oi' the gun.

Like letters of reference indicate similar parts in all the figures.

A is the casing inclosing the. breech mechanism. B is the barrel. C is the breech block or lock; C, the cartridge-carrier; O2,

the lifting-levers therefor; C3, the ring-pin; O4, the cooking-lever; C5, the safety-scar, and C6 D,the crank; D2,the'crank'handle,andDathe casing inclosing the spring which acts to re turn the crank to its ring position. E is the trigger, and F is the water-jacket. All of these parts are of ordinary construction, except that they are made heavier and stronger to bear the increased stresses to which they are subjected.

G is the recoilspring,which is placed around the barrel in the Water-jacket, one end thereof restingieinst a partition F in the Waterjacket and the other end resting against a sleeve G', fixed to the barrel. By employing this sleeve we are able to avoid the use of a spring of undue length. G2 are perforations in the said sleeve for permitting the cooling liquid in the Water-jacket to come into direct Contact with the barrel.

H is the hydraulic buffer, comprising a cyl inder of suitable inetal arranged at the rear end of the casing of the gun. WVithin the said cylinder is a piston H', from which extends, through the cover of -the cylinder, a rod H2, having at its outer end a head or shoulder H3 to engage' with a recess formed in a cross-bar H", connecting together the opposite sidesof the inner sliding frame H5. Asthe said slidn ing framemoves backward in the recoil the piston moves toward the rear end of the cylinder,which is preferably made tapering toward the firing-scar. D is the crank-shaft;

its rear end. The piston is made smaller than the bore at the forward end of the cylinder,`so that as it commences to move backward the liquid can pass freely from the rear to the front thereof; but as the piston continues its backward movement the passage between he cylinder and the periphery of the piston gradually diminishes and at the end of the .stroke will be completely or nearly closed. 'The recoil movement-of the breech mechanism will thereby be gradually checked. The aforesaid cylinder is surrounded by a casing H6, which communicates with. the cylinder through a port H7 at the forward end of the bore of theL yid cylinder, such casingalording spaceor containing the necessary quantity is completing its rearward stroke.

o-liq'nid for the hydraulic buffer. There is likewise a hole HX in the wall of the cylinder, near the rear end thereof, for the escape -of liquid from behind the piston when the latter In order that the saidcylinder may be readily removable,we form on its rear end a shank or eylindrical extension HS, which extends through the rear plate of the, said gun-framing and has on its outer extremity a screw-thread for receiving a nut Hfawhereby it is secured in place;A .The said shank or cylindrical. extension is hollow and is closed by a suitable stopper or screw-plug H10, which can be'removed at any time without detaching the cylinder and permit access' to be had to the interior of the/cylinder from the exterior of the gun. for any purpose-as, for instance, to replenish it with liquid. There is also provided another screw-plug H11 in the casing H6 for enabling the latter to be charged with liquid from the interior of the gun-casing when the hinged 'top cover thereof is opened.

l I are arms or fingers each of which is piv-` oted to the side frame of the gun-casing in a position to enable their free ends to normally project into the cam-groove A', in which the horns CX on the cartridge-carrier travel as the lock recedes to open the breech. The aforesaid arms are furnished with springs I', which retain them in their aforesaid normal'positiont and permit themto give way to the carrier as the lat-ter recedes, but cause them to resume theiroriginal position immediately the carrier has passed, so that in the event of the carrier prematurely returning to its original position the arms will act as stops to prevent the nose of the cartridge in the carrier from being brought againstthe detonator of the cartridge in the feed-box. l

5 K isthe feed-lever, which is of similar con struction to the feed -lever ordinarily employed in Maxim guns; but in order to decrease the total length of the gun, and thereby to save space, the pivot K of the said lever is arranged on the opposite side of the feedbox to which it is usually located. K2 is a stud on .oneI of the arms of the said lever,

which stud engages withl a. hole or slot in the' upper surface of the barrel, and thereby reoei'vesits motion from the said' barrel. K3 is a projection or stud on the feed-plate, with which the other arm of said lever engages to actuate said plate and cause the belt to be fed through the gun.

1. In an ai'xtometic'gun having-'a recoilseep/te moving the said cylinder substantially as described.

2. lIn an automatic gun having a recoiling barrel, a crank-shaft, a reciprocating lock connected therewith and a' sliding inner frame carrying said crank-shaft; the conibi- -ing onto the external portion of said shank,

and of a detachable plug fitting the outer end scribed and for the purposes specied.

In an automatic gun having a recoiling barrel, a crank-shaft, a reciprocating lock connected therewith and a sliding inner vof the tubular shank, all substantially vas deframe carrying said crank-shaft; the combination of a piston detachably connected to a cross-bar on the said sliding inner frame, of a hydraulic cylinder within which such piston works, of means for detachably connecting said cylinder to the rear plate of the guncasing, of means for enabling the cylinder to be replenished with liquid from the exterior of the gun without removing it, of a casing surrounding said cylinder and.communicating therewith, and of a detachable plug on said casing for enabling it to be charged with liquid substantially as described.

4t. In an automatic gn'n having a recoiling barrel, a crank-shaf t, a reciprocating lock connected therewith, and a sliding inner 4Aframe carrying said crank-shaft; the combination with the barrel and within 'the waterjacket of a sleeve larger than the barrel but` secured to the same near its forward end, and a short recoil-spring surrounding the barrel and interposed'between the rear endet' saidy sleeve and an abutment or partition in said water-jacket as set forth.

5. In an automatic gun having a recoiling barrel, a crank-shaft, a reciprocating lock.. connected therewith and a sliding inner ICQ IIO

frame carrying said crank-shaft; the combination with theharrel and Within the water jacket of a sleevetlarger than the barrel but secured to the same near its forward end, and

provided with perforations or openings which permit free accessof the water 'to the barrel, and a short recoil-spring surrounding the harrel and interposed between the rear end ci."

said sleeve and an ahnt-nient or partition in said water-jacket, as set forth. v

In testimony whereof we have here to set our hands, in presence of two snbscrihing` witnessesu'this l8thrday of March, '1899.

ARTHUR 'renvon Dawson. Leurs sitvninlisn.V

Witnesses: l WALTER -W. Sehnen, HENRY Knie, 

